Sports in Brief: Strict security for Belmont Stakes horses

New York racing officials are taking measures to ensure that I'll Have Another's bid to take the Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes is contested without illegal drugs.

Authorities said Wednesday that all horses in the Belmont will be housed in a single highly secured barn beginning three days before the race.

When the horses arrive Wednesday at the barn, they will be given a blood test that will be sent to the state drug laboratory for immediate review. The horses will be under guard, and a limited number of people will be permitted to enter. Lasix will be permitted on race day.

COLLEGES: The Big 12 favors a four-team playoff to decide college football's national champion, and supports some kind of selection committee to determine its participants, interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said. . . . Stacy McCullough, who has spent the last four seasons as the Drexel women's coordinator of basketball operations, was named assistant to head coach Denise Dillon. The former Drexel player succeeds James Clark, who joined the staff at Wagner last month. . . . Temple rowers Joanna Sutor and Taylor Wasserleben (Upper Moreland) were named to the nine-member 2012 Atlantic Ten academic all-conference teams.

SOCCER:Neymar, Thiago Silva, Marcelo and Alexander Pato scored as Brazil took advantage of sloppy defending to beat the United States, 4-1, in a friendly in Landover, Md.

Herculez Gomez, making his first start for the U.S. since the 2010 World Cup, scored in the 45th minute.

NFL: Three former Eagles are suing the league, claiming they were not warned of health risks from repeated concussions and other brain injuries. The class-action suit on behalf of former players living in New Jersey was filed by Michael Haddix, 50, of Sewell; Greg Brown, 55, of Sicklerville and Lawrence Watkins, 65, of Mount Laurel. The suit, in federal court in Camden, seeks medical monitoring for current and former NFL players, and "financial compensation" for chronic injuries and related losses. . . . After getting a promise from players that the game will be more competitive, the NFL said it will hold the Pro Bowl in Honolulu on Jan. 27, a week before the Super Bowl. Commissioner Roger Goodell had made it clear that canceling the All-Star Game was a possibility after the uninspired play of this year's 59-41 AFC victory.

GOLF: PGA Tour player Sean O'Hair of West Chester, who did not try to qualify for the British Open, needs to win at least one tournament in the next seven weeks to get into the major championship. But he is not playing in this week's Memorial Tournament because of a sore neck. The 29-year-old O'Hair also said he will not try to qualify for June's U.S. Open.